FINDING
HOPE Photographer and activist Connie Frisbee Houde
has long been traveling to, and advocating on behalf of, Afghanistan
and its people. She recently returned from her latest trip—the
trip during which her “dear friend and mentor,” Delmar doctor
Tom Little and his team of humanitarians were killed. An exhibit
of her work from this journey has just opened at the Visions
Gallery (Roman Catholic Diocese of Albany Pastoral Center,
40 N. Main Ave., Albany), titled Life Goes On—Afghanistan
in August. There will be a reception during 1st Friday
(Friday, Oct. 1) from 5-7 PM. The exhibit is open through
Nov. 5. For more info, call 453-6600.

FOR THE BENEFIT OF OUR FOUR-LEGGED FRIENDS Today (Thursday,
Sept. 30) from 5:30-8:30 PM, the Arts Center of the Capital
Region (265 River St., Troy) will host the 6th Annual
Art Saves Animals, a benefit for the Mohawk & Hudson
Humane Society. We all are aware how bad things are. The
lousy economy has led to people being forced to give up their
pets, and it has also put a strain on donations to all of
the worthy charities in our area. For $40, you can enjoy wine,
appetizers and desserts, bid on some art (by local, regional
and national artists) donated for a good cause, and know that
you’re doing it for the benefit of “those who can’t speak
for themselves.” Nippertown’s Sara Ayers and Greg
Haymes are the honorary chairs. For more info, call 434-8128
ext. 204 or 206, or visit mohawkhumane.org.

BUY SOME BOOKS, HELP A LIBRARY The Friends of the Schenectady
County Public Library are sponsoring a massive book sale
this Saturday (Oct. 2) from 9 AM-4 PM at the main branch (99
Clinton St., Schenectady) to benefit . . . the SCPL, of course.
Most hardcover books will be $1, and most paperbacks 50 cents
each or 3 for $1. “Records and better books” will be priced
individually. Almost every genre will be represented. Proceeds
of the sale will benefit all nine branches in the system.
The sale is the product of efforts by 150 volunteers; they
love their library and you should too.

ART & COMMERCE The Clark Art Institute always has
an interesting film series going. (By “always,” I mean for
as long as I’ve been doing this job.) This Saturday (Oct.
2) at 2 PM, they will begin a real gem of a series titled,
All About Art but the Art: The Business of Aesthetics.
The first film will be My Kid Could Paint That, a 2007
documentary about a precocious preschooler who paints Pollock-esque
abstracts. Upcoming films, all unspooling at 2 PM, will be
Who Gets to Call It Art? (Oct. 16); the heartbreaking,
brutal doc The Art of the Steal (Nov. 6); and, finally,
Olivier Assayas’ lovely, emotionally precise drama Summer
Hours, about a family dealing with the final disposition
of their late mother’s valuable art collection. All films
will be shown at the Clark (225 South St., Williamstown, Mass.).
For more info, visit clarkart.edu.